MODERNITY:

Its Role in the

Development of Social
Science
 What is Modernity?
 deals not only with the shift in the physical
and material conditions of society but also
with the mental and behavioral shifts among
people.

 an economic and ideological phenomenon

that challenged the West (mainly, Europe and
North America) in the late 19th to early 17th
century to which people responded with the
varying levels and intensities according to their
respective status or class
MODERNITY (Economic aspect)

 It is characterized by the presence of

urbanism and capitalism (to feudal to
modern, industrial, and capitalist state).
Factors such as imperialism,
globalization, political and cultural
expansion of Western powers and
highly industrialized nations influenced
modernity.
 Modernity has become a
blueprint of society that promotes
individualism and in the words of
Emile Durkheim (Father of both
Sociology and Anthropology),
organic solidarity or
interdependence among its
segmented and differentiated
members who are usually unrelated
residents of the city.
 STRUCTURAL
FUNCTIONALISM
 Based on the idea of Emile Durkheim
(Father of Sociology and Anthropology),
his theory suggests that cultural and
social institutions are created to
perform certain functions that in the
end contribute to the overall health of
society, thus, preserving itself to
posterity.
 STRUCTURAL
FUNCTIONALISM

 Overall harmony is important because it is so

difficult to maintain peace and cooperation when
everybody is a stranger in a big city; otherwise,
the whole city will collapse.
 “Mechanical solidarity”, the basis of people’s
cooperation and society’s integration is due to
similar experiences in work, lifeways, values, and
worldviews. Meaning, the reason why people feel
connected with each other is because they do
the same type of activities, live in the same area,
and experience the same things.
 MODERNITY

In the end, modernity served as a

counterpoint of traditional society. It has
been equated with the Western’s idea of
“civilization” and the total opposite of this
is the “primitive”, which is sometimes
regarded as tribes and traditional
societies.
 RESULTS of MODERNITY
> Highly urbanized and congested cities
> Population increase
> Capitalism
> Emergence of new types of social forces (the
idea of “class” based on how people are related
to the vital ingredients or forces of
production). Eventually “class conflict” will
arise. According to Karl Marx (father of
Communism), the working class is the
antithesis of the working class.
 Bringing
Positivism to the
Fore of Social
Science
 POSITIVISM
 A philosophy developed in Europe about a
century before the Industrial revolution,
shaped scientific tradition through the 19th
century and beyond.

 Believes that scientific thought is a superior

knowledge than superstition and religion,
and it is achieved through an objective and
empirical analysis of phenomenon
 AUGUSTE COMTE

 Proponent of Positivism
 He suggested that Theology and
Metaphysics are flawed-since they could
not be proven empirically – and could
not be trusted.
 Together with other Enlightenment thinkers
or Positivist, he believed in the power of
rational thought in uncovering hidden
processes and structures in society.